The Ultimate Back Pain Relief Tips Blog

Sciatica pain stems from pressure on and/or irritation of the sciatic nerve. The nerve emanates from both sides of the lower spine, through the pelvic area and the buttocks, down the back of the thighs. The nerve splits at the knee forming branches extending to the feet. Pain can stretch all along this route and may be mild and achy or sharp and burning, often accompanied by pins-and-needles sensations.

Your #10 Sciatica Stretch is the Calf Stretch. The sciatic nerve is about the width of one’s thumb and travels from the lower spine all the way to the foot. Sciatica pain can cause calf soreness or even numbness. The calf stretch can bring relief to pain that is present in the calf.

Your #8 Sciatica Stretch is the Hip Flexor Stretch. The hip flexor is made up of the psoas and illiacus muscles; collectively called the iliopsoas muscle. These muscles are attached to the pelvis and lumbar spine. Therefore, if these muscles are tight, it will alter posture and body mechanics. Prolong sitting will increase tightness in the hip flexor muscles. Therefore, it is important to increase flexibility of the iliopsoas muscle in order to decrease severity of low back pain and sciatica symptoms.

Your #8 Sciatica Stretch is the Hamstring Stretch. If your hamstrings are too tight, this will alter your body mechanics. To improve posture and body mechanics it is imperative that one has adequate hamstring flexibility.

I recently wrote an article titled the best stretch for sciatic. In that article, I defined what I thought was the best stretch for sciatica. As many of you know I had severe back pain, pain down my legs, and at times I experienced a very difficult weakness in my legs. This was all the result of a really bad back problem (herniated disc) that I suffered with for over ten years. As a result of my condition and my persistence to solve my problem I developed a procedure to treat sciatica, Functional Disc Rehydration.

Sciatica is the pain that radiates alongside the path of the sciatic nerve. This branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. Sciatica stretches are one of the most important things you can do at home to help elimnate the pain associated with sciatica.

Having sciatica makes it challenging to get around and feel comfortable while sitting or lying down. The bad news is that this condition indicates that something is putting pressure on the sciatic nerve that runs from your lower back to your feet, which is why you feel pain. The good news is that sciatica usually doesn’t last long and can often be treated with self-care measures at home. That means you shouldn’t have to worry about having to take prescription pain medications, receive steroid injections or undergo surgery. The following are some of the ways that you can treat sciatica at home.

I recently appeared on a TV show in Chicago called “You and Me this Morning.” On the show the host asked me what is the best stretch for back pain? I love this question because knowing the best way to perform an activity ensures very often you can get people to actually do the activity. This is because we like the power of one. Do one thing and get the result is what we are all about in America. Give me the best and I don’t have to fool with the rest and I can get back to living my life.

There are several reasons this stretch is considered the Best!

As many of you know I suffered with back pain and sciatica for years...… over 10 years to be exact. I as a result know firsthand all the exercises and stretches, this is one of my personal favorites. I wrote an article called the "The 8 Most Important Things You Must Know If You Are Dealing With Sciatica!" In this article I mentioned that the leading cause of sciatica is the dreaded herniated disc, and it’s also one of the leading causes of back pain. This stretch helps both back pain and the cause of sciatica; this is one of the reasons why it qualifies as the best.

This stretch is good for taking the pressure off the disc, and by taking pressure off the disc you ultimately start to take the pressure off the nerve that is being pinched. (The sciatic nerve.) We live in a culture where we spend a large part of our day sitting. The days of working on our feet are mostly gone. So now when we sit, we do 2 things that are bad for our spines, we flex our spine slightly resulting in a flat spine, and we load our discs. It’s because everybody sits that the stretch also qualifies as the best……. it’s good for everybody.

This stretch will eliminate both the flattening of the spine and the overloaded discs.

The exercise is known as the sphinx.

Start by lying flat on your stomach; put your hands in front of you and your elbows under your shoulders.

Then lift your head and shoulders up with your forearms on the floor.

Settle into it for 30 seconds at least. Perform about 5-10 stretches at first.

After a long day of sitting at work I recommend patients perform these 10 minutes daily at home. It will help.

When you start to gain some of your flexibility you want to extend higher by pushing your shoulder up and straightening your arms.

This stretch will take some time to start to get the tissues to relax but if you give it some time you will start to feel a little better.

Make sure you have your condition evaluated by a healthcare practitioner.

The pain of sciatica can be a daily occurrence for many sufferers. For some, it may disappear or decrease for a few days, then return with full force. No matter how sciatica is affecting your life, you should take steps to improve the strength and flexibility of your back, thigh and buttock muscles. By diligently doing stretching exercises daily, you should begin to see some overall improvement. If your lower back pain has not been properly diagnosed, be sure to see a back specialist. You should also see your doctor if you back pain is unusually severe. Try these stretches below to help minimize the effect of sciatica on your life:

If you suffer from sciatica, which can cause back pain that radiates down the legs, you will benefit from daily stretching exercises. Muscle tension can increase pressure on the sciatic nerve, increasing pain. A regular routine of stretches can make your body more flexible, helping to relieve pain and tension, increase resiliency and help prevent recurrence. Make sure to check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. These stretches can help ease sciatica pain and many also build strength while increasing flexibility:

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Disclaimer: The content on this web site is for information purposes only and should never be used as the basis for diagnosis or treatment. We always recommend consulting a qualified professional before embarking on any form of self treatment or rehabilitation.

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